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Colombia’s traditional fashions are on full display during holidays and festivals, like the Carnival of Barranquilla, which marks the beginning of Lent. Women often wear skirts and blouses decked with handmade lace, a tradition that arrived with the Spanish in the 15th century. This seemingly delicate bracelet of vintage lace dipped in sterling silver speaks to the resilience of the Colombian people and the blending of cultural traditions.

This was an attractive bracelet with an interesting country of origin story. Unfortunately the "dipped" sterling silver coating was not very good-certainly the item was not "sterling silver" as advertised.

Was this a gift?:

Yes

Bottom LineNo, I would not recommend this to a friend

From National Geographic:We appreciate your feedback and are sorry to hear that you were not delighted with your purchase. This bracelet is made of vintage lace dipped in sterling silver. Our customer service representatives at NGCatalog@ngs.org would be happy to assist you with a return for a refund or exchange if you like.

From National Geographic:We appreciate your feedback and regret that your purchase did not delight you. Please contact our customer service department at NGCatalog@ngs.org if you prefer to return it for a refund or exchange.

This is a beautiful bracelet that my fiance fell in love with the moment she saw it! I then showed the bracelet to my sister, to get her opinion, and now she too wants the bracelet!

Both of these women are very stylish conscientious consumers. My fiance collects fine jewelry from all around the world and she said that this peice was unlike any other that she had seen in all of her travels. She loved the history and story of the lace and the women who craft the bracelets. I cannot wait to see her face when I give it to her!

The floral motifs on our sterling silver and bronze cuff bracelet are inspired by Balinese carved woordwork. The Balinese are known for their handcarved furniture and architectural decorations featuring natural motifs, a custom that this jewelry pays tribute to. Traditionally, Balinese carvers choose auspicious days on their religious calendar to begin a new piece and often ask a priest for a blessing before starting to carve. This cuff honors the Balinese dediation to nature and spirtuality in handicraft.

Feathers play an important part in the rituals and legends of many indigenous American cultures. For the Navajo in the Southwest, eagle feathers are especially important. They’re used to bless sacred spaces, in costumes for ceremonial dances, and in the prayer plumes that gave protection to mythological warriors. Our sterling silver bracelet is handcrafted by Navajo artisans in Arizona in the design of a stylized feather.

Archaeologists have uncovered glass fragments from across the Roman Empire, from vases, vessels, even windowpanes. This asymmetrical cuff bracelet features two medallions of ancient glass excavated in Israel. The iridescent patina develops over 2,000 years of contact with moisture and minerals in the earth, and has made Roman glass popular with collectors for centuries. Comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Bangle bracelets are an ancient form of jewelry and have adorned wrists since the earliest days of human civilization. Found at archeological sites from Africa to India, bangles often serve to signify the social position of the wearer. In many cultures, married women wear bangles to bring safety for themselves and luck for their husbands. Balinese designer Komang Suastra’s graceful bangle bracelets use ancient scroll motifs, linking contemporary Balinese design with the island’s long traditional of silver working.

Connemara, in western Ireland, is home to the mottled green marble that's known as the country's national gem. The Walsh family, in Rathfarnham Village, Dublin, have been working with Connemara marble for three generations, and craft these stretchy beaded bracelets by hand. Each is paired with a sterling silver charm that reflects an element of Irish culture: a Celtic cross, a claddagh, and a shamrock.

The way of life among Thailand's northern hill tribes has changed little over the centuries. Traditionally, artisans melt silver bars and old necklaces to create new adornments for New Year celebrations, an example of which is this cuff of braided, intertwined strands of sterling silver. The artisan melts, cools, hammers, shapes, chisels, and engraves the sterling silver to achieve a braided and woven effect.

This regal cuff bracelet combines modern form with indigenous elegance. Husband and wife design team Achara and Withaya are dedicated to preserving the traditional metal crafts of the hill tribes of Thailand and Myanmar. Working with indigenous craftspeople, the designers make brilliant use of silver’s natural luminous shimmer to create simple but striking patterns of dark and light.

Like other hill tribes that live in the mountains of southern China, the Miao ethnic group is known for its metalwork. For festivals and ceremonies, the Miaoespecially womenadorn themselves head to toe with more than 30 pounds of layered silver jewelry and headdresses. This rustic cuff bracelet showcases the Miao love for silver in a more simplified style.

A delicately woven sterling silver chain is the focus of this necklace, handcrafted in Thailand by silversmiths from the northern hill tribes. Silver jewelry is a rich part of hill tribe tradition, both making it and wearing it. Women traditionally wear elaborate necklaces, headdresses, and bracelets for festivals and celebrations, and many hill tribe people prefer silver to paper currency. This necklace features beaded and braided elements created by members of three different Thai hill tribes.

Believed to embody virtues like wisdom, good fortune, and health, turquoise has been an important part of cultures as diverse as the ancient Egyptians, the Navajo, and the Tibetans. For the Navajo in the American Southwest, the stone is part of rain ceremonies where it represents the connection between sea and sky.

Bali's hanging gardens are the inspiration for these sterling silver hoops. The designs are first hand-carved in wax, from which a mold is made. When molten silver is poured into the mold, the wax melts, leaving a perfect cast of the original design.

Beginning with pure silver bullion, Lao silversmiths working in the capital city of Vientiane melt, flatten, hammer, and twist this traditional, flexible cuff bracelet into shape. The ends are decorated with a stylized Laotian flower called dok phikopun, which represents health and well-being.